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Those automatic-open glass panels aren’t merely the doors to your local drugstore — they’re a Narnia-like portal to a vast world of surprising finds and useful treasures. Consider, for instance, how those aisles of products are a skin-care devotee’s afternoon-swallowing fantasyland of affordable, effective, and often quite elegant formulas. (The fact that they often come in dismal, graceless packaging just jacks up the IYKYK mystique.)
Here then, are 16 exceptional products hiding in plain sight. These picks are culled from our guides to the best skin care and the recommendations of Wirecutter beauty and health writers and editors. We’re sure you’ll find a cleanser, moisturizer, toning treatment, or sun protectant that you — and your wallet — will love.
Best cleanser for sensitive skin – Vanicream Gentle Facial Cleanser
When something so inexpensive and in such plain-Jane packaging inspires poetry, you know it has to be great: “After my wife, Vanicream is the second love of my life,” says beauty editor Hannah Rimm, whose skin is exceptionally sensitive. The mellow fragrance-free and sulfate-free formula of Vanicream Gentle Facial Cleanser thoroughly cleanses without causing tightness, dryness, or redness. “It removes any residual makeup without making my skin feel stripped of all moisture,” says beauty writer Ayanna Redwood-Crawford. “And don’t get me started on the gorgeous suds!” Indeed, the Vanicream cleanser bubbles up into a substantial lather, while many cleansers geared toward sensitive skin are more milky than muscly. In our testing for our guide to the best facial cleansers, this $9 option more than held its own against luxury versions that cost four times as much. Plus, for most testers, a single bottle lasted for months when used twice a day, which breaks down to just pennies per use.
Best cleanser for oily or acne-prone skin – CeraVe Foaming Facial Cleanser
Old-school cleansers are like a bull in a china shop, obliterating both bad oils (shine- and acne-causing sebum) and good oils (lipids in the skin barrier). But CeraVe Foaming Facial Cleanser offsets all that stripping with added moisturizers such as niacinamide, ceramides, and hyaluronic acid. “I liked how the cleanser was thick and stayed stable on my face until I rinsed. And it felt super hydrating,” said one staffer with oily skin. It also bubbles up beautifully: Just a bit of water makes the liquid gel burst into a fluffy network of bubbles, some up to a half-inch in diameter. “It feels so good in my hands and on my face,” our tester added.
Best cleanser for dry skin – La Roche-Posay Toleriane Hydrating Gentle Cleanser
People with dry skin may approach cleansers with the most acute side-eye: Won’t washing just parch their complexions more? Nope — not when the mild La Roche-Posay Toleriane Hydrating Gentle Cleanser is involved. This milky formula has eight ingredients that help skin maintain moisture (thank you, glycerin, niacinamide, vitamin E, panthenol, a ceramide, and others!). Wirecutter testers loved the sheer, frothy lather and praised how it moved: “I liked the way this held on to my skin while I massaged it in,” one said. “It wasn’t too slippery or gummy.” The light foam flushed away easily, whether testers were in the shower or at the sink.
Best all-over hydration – CeraVe Moisturizing Cream
The frosting-thick CeraVe Moisturizing Cream is loaded with hardworking hydrators including glycerin, ceramides, and petrolatum — and the icing on the cake is that it’s a pick in both our guide to the best moisturizers and our guide to the best body lotions. Admittedly, we were at first skeptical that something could both soften alligator elbows and look chic under makeup. But CeraVe’s Moisturizing Cream surprised us by absorbing quickly, leaving no greasy residue, and sitting well even under a full face of foundation. That said, figuring out exactly how little your face needs may take some practice. “It didn’t absorb if I accidentally put on too much,” a tester pointed out.
Best moisturizer for combination skin – Neutrogena Hydro Boost Hyaluronic Acid Gel Cream Fragrance Free
We couldn’t get enough of Neutrogena Hydro Boost Hyaluronic Acid Gel Cream Fragrance Free’s compelling, ASMR-ish texture, which has a gel-like whip that gets its water-binding bounce from glycerin and sodium hyaluronate. Granted, for the testers for our moisturizer guide, the slippery consistency was polarizing at first: While one loved that it spread effortlessly like a serum, another found the slickness less appealing. All of our testers agreed, though, that it dried down completely, leaving behind only smooth skin and no stickiness. And not to be too superficial, but testers loved that the cerulean glass jar looked chic and high-end. While the formula is fragrance-free — meaning, no perfumes were added — some folks still noted a mildly medicinal smell.
Best moisturizer for oily skin – La Roche-Posay Toleriane Double Repair Matte Face Moisturizer
La Roche-Posay Toleriane Double Repair Matte Face Moisturizer has just 16 ingredients, but what ingredients they are! The light, oil-free formula contains ceramides and hyaluronic acid, as well as a trio of oil-absorbing particles: silica, starch, and perlite. Right out of the tube, it almost looks greasy, but if you rub it in and wait a few seconds, the cream immediately dries and leaves skin soft, fresh, and impressively matte. (Testers with both oily and combination skin called out this benefit.) Panelists for our guide to the best moisturizers loved how it stayed sheer and smooth, never pill-y, under sunscreen and foundation. As a bonus — especially for people in hotter climates — testers felt a pleasant cooling sensation after application.
Best moisturizer for acne-prone skin – Cetaphil Gentle Clear Mattifying Acne Moisturizer
People with acne may fear that moisturizer will clog pores and trigger flare-ups — yet they may also be using blemish treatments that leave skin parched and flaking. Cetaphil Gentle Clear Mattifying Acne Moisturizer offers a perfect balance: It’s a lightweight, mattifying lotion enhanced with a low concentration of blemish-fighting salicylic acid. While over-the-counter acne treatments often contain up to 2% salicylic acid, this sheer formula has 0.5% — just enough to keep breakouts at bay without irritation. “I’m super impressed,” noted a tester with acne-prone skin. “My skin tolerated it without any burning, and no redness.” Plus, it contains a zinc compound that helps curb inflammatory acne. For editor Hannah Morrill, who experiences minor hormonal outbreaks each month, swapping in Cetaphil Gentle Clear Mattifying Acne Moisturizer for just a few days prevented a few small pimples from erupting at all.
Best moisturizer for sensitive skin – Vanicream Daily Facial Moisturizer
Vanicream Daily Facial Moisturizer is a go-to for dermatologists and people with sensitive skin types alike, thanks to its no-nonsense ingredients. Whereas many contenders in our guide to the best moisturizers had more than 50 ingredients, this Vanicream moisturizer’s lean-and-mean list of 19 includes derm-anointed all-stars such as squalane, glycerin, glycol, hyaluronic acid, and five different ceramides. What’s more, it notably lacks common chemical irritants such as fragrances, dyes, lanolin, parabens, and formaldehyde releasers. It absorbs readily, leaves skin plumped, and even softens the appearance of fine lines temporarily. The plastic-tube packaging isn’t charming — our aesthetically minded gift editor admitted that she considered decanting it into a more luxe container — but none of our testers could deny its efficacy.
Best drugstore retinol – L’Oréal Paris Revitalift 0.3% Pure Retinol
With its ability to hasten cell turnover and diminish the appearance of fine lines, a retinoid is an important part of a skin-care routine. One of our favorites, L’Oréal Paris Revitalift 0.3% Pure Retinol, is effective and easy to use. The serum feels just strong enough, with a concentration of 0.3% retinol. Admittedly, that concentration was at the bottom end of what dermatologists recommended for our guide to the best retinols, but for our testers the low dose made these lush drops tolerable yet still effective, with the perfect amount of zing: “I want a retinol to tingle a bit, to prove to me that it’s working, and this one did,” one panelist said. We also appreciate that the copious (if a bit malodorous) drops soak right in and dry quickly, allowing you to speed up your skin-care routine.
Best vitamin C serum for combination skin – Olay Vitamin C + Peptide 24 Brightening Serum
With the sole exception of its plastic packaging — which is truly horrible — there’s a lot to recommend the Olay Vitamin C + Peptide 24 Brightening Serum. The plump, pearlescent formula left skin soft and smooth, with a hint of fresh fragrance. Unprompted and entirely coincidentally, several testers for our guide to the best vitamin C serums used the word luxurious to describe these silky drops. And the formula packs in a lot of high-achiever ingredients: Its vitamin C (in the form of the relatively mellow 3-O-ethyl ascorbic acid) is rounded out with gently smoothing additions, such as niacinamide and lactic acid. “It’s a little thick out of the dropper, but then feels liquid while massaging into my skin,” Ayanna said. “Applying this is a treat.”
Best exfoliating toner – PanOxyl Clarifying Exfoliant 2% Salicylic Acid
More than one of our testers, influenced by their high-school experiences with the brand, expected PanOxyl Clarifying Exfoliant 2% Salicylic Acid to be stripping and astringent. But those same panelists were truly astounded by this mild alcohol- and fragrance-free mixture, which boasts the maximum over-the-counter concentration of 2% salicylic acid, the primo hydroxy acid for clearing pores. The liquid formula (apply it with a cotton pad) is enhanced with protective and soothing ingredients such as glycerin and chamomile, and testers did indeed notice that their skin felt smoother, without any sensitivity or stinging. This exfoliant also plays well with other products: Health writer Nancy Redd tried five BHA serums (some which cost upwards of $50) with her morning routine, and the PanOxyl one was far and away her favorite under makeup. It dried quickly, smoothed her complexion, and was imperceptible under foundation.
Best exfoliating treatment – CeraVe Skin Renewing Nightly Exfoliating Treatment
CeraVe Skin Renewing Nightly Exfoliating Treatment challenges assumptions about chemical exfoliants. Rather than a brisk and bracing liquid, this is a creamy suspension with a mild mix of smoothing alpha hydroxy acids. AHA molecules are small — tiny enough to penetrate the outer layer of skin, break down the lipids that cement dead cells to the surface, and whisk away flakes to reveal fresher overall texture and tone. And this CeraVe formula contains an especially effective duo of AHAs: Glycolic acid is faster acting, while lactic acid is slower and steadier and also has a moisturizing benefit. In fact, a panelist in her 50s with combination skin found it so hydrating, she felt like she didn’t need a moisturizer. Although the concentration of AHAs is on the low side at just 5% (some other options we tried for our guide to the best exfoliants had up to 12%), we actually preferred that mildness because it allowed us to use this treatment nightly without risking irritation or tightness. One thing we didn’t love: It smells like soy sauce.
Overnight acne fighter – Hero Cosmetics Mighty Patch Original Patch
The Hero Cosmetics Mighty Patch Original Patch is so very basic, we kind of can’t believe how well it works. There’s no benzoyl peroxide, no salicylic acid, no high-test zit scorcher from days of old: It’s just a tiny round of medical-grade hydrocolloid wound dressing that adheres to skin, deflates whiteheads, and helps keep below-the-surface pimples in check: “I probably get one or two deep cystic pimples each month around my period, and Mighty Patches keep them from going full Vesuvius,” says Hannah Morrill. Although they’re pretty much invisible on any skin tone, you can still feel them — so they serve as a helpful reminder for those who tend to pick at pimples.
A nongreasy chemical sunscreen – Banana Boat Light As Air SPF 50+
Banana Boat Light As Air SPF 50+ — Wirecutter’s top-pick chemical sunscreen for body application — is also a standout option for faces. This luscious fluff rubs in easily and blends well on a range of skin tones. And it has a nice, breezy scent: Nancy, who writes our sunscreen guides, likens it to “mild cantaloupe” upon application (though the aroma dissipates as the formula fully dries down). Whereas so many sunscreens can leave skin feeling slick, sticky, or smeared, Banana Boat Light As Air stays put — and away from eyes — and melts into faces to impart a “soft, slightly powdery texture,” according to Nancy.
Best lip balm with SPF – Aquaphor Lip Repair Stick + Sunscreen
Aquaphor Lip Repair Stick + Sunscreen is truly a stick for all seasons: It remains solid in summer heat (whereas some formulas ooze and liquefy) and stays smooth and spreadable in cold weather. Best of all, though, is the balm’s singular texture: “It’s sheer, but it has enough waxiness to stay put,” says beauty editor Jennifer Sullivan. “And it’s not too shiny — it doubles as a multiuse sunscreen for topping off my nose and ears.”